Trivial causes you would devote yourself to:

[v-girl]

Alison - Your daughter is still a baby and should have whatever it takes for her to grow. She's fine!

[SuzySunshine]

That would totally be mine!

- Getting mothers to STOP beating up on each and comparing themselves to others when you have NO idea what their situation is!

[Chrisada]

Saying, "these ones" I just heard two people say it back to back. I can't figure out if is is a midwest thing or what.

[GrayMatterWife]

Saying, "these ones" I just heard two people say it back to back. I can't figure out if is is a midwest thing or what.

It's a midwest thing. I don't get it, either.

When I lived in Pittsburgh, it was: "You'ns"--a corruption of "you ones"

When I lived in the NE, it was: "Yous guys"--pronouced "yewz"

When I was in Texas, it was: "might could"--as in "I might could do that, if I had more time"--this one drove me absolutely nuts, since I was an English teacher facing this problem with students

[scarlett09]

--Five-years-olds with pacifiers

THIS!

--Placing commas and periods outside of quotation marks where appropriate (ie, when they are not part of what is being quoted).

Can you please explain this to my thesis advisor? Can't tell you how many periods and commas I just moved to inside the quotation marks when editing my current draft. It's so weird - definitely not what I was taught!

Now that I live in a college town again (first time since I was a undergrad) I'm just shocked at how lazy undergrads act. I've never seen a group of such lazy, helpless, underachieving people in my whole life! What can we do about banishing them to Mars or some such place?

Oh, the stories I could tell about lazy, uninspired college students. I think I will just stick with the stories about the hard working, inspiring ones. You could move them, but where would I work and utilize this degree that isn't quite conferred yet?

[houseelf]

Just for fun:

attempt to minimize the tattoo and piercing craze
beauty pagents for kids under the age of 16 are forbidden
no cuts for any publicly funded school team, even if this means varsity, Jv, freshman, and rec teams
increasing the legal driving age to 18 with a mandatory "P" sign for the first year
decreasing the legal drinking age to 18
require kids to have longer lunches, more recesses, and gym classes
kill high stakes testing
require community service as a prerequisite to any college degree
forbid shows like the Jersey shore, the Bachelor, and televised golf or poker
provide National Science foundation funding to innovate calorie free baked goods

[HouseofWool]

provide National Science foundation funding to innovate calorie free baked goods

Word

-smoking around children any time, any place. I hate it. Kill yourself? Fine. Poison your kid? Not so much!
-teaching kids respect.
-providing free haircuts and belts to all teenage boys. Hair in your eyes and pants below your butt is not a good look.

[v-girl]

Non-handicapped people parking in handicap spots.

[poky]

--Placing commas and periods outside of quotation marks where appropriate (ie, when they are not part of what is being quoted).

This.

[poky]

Can you please explain this to my thesis advisor? Can't tell you how many periods and commas I just moved to inside the quotation marks when editing my current draft. It's so weird - definitely not what I was taught

Actually, here in the US, most style guides DO specify putting periods and commas inside quote instead of outside. It's "traditional", but it's also stupid and illogical, and the brits' style guides specify the logical way (and the way I've always done it, because I'm logical, and a computer programmer, and adding things inside quotes is *bad* in code).

[oceanchild]

Actually, here in the US, most style guides DO specify putting periods and commas inside quote instead of outside. It's "traditional", but it's also stupid and illogical, and the brits' style guides specify the logical way (and the way I've always done it, because I'm logical, and a computer programmer, and adding things inside quotes is *bad* in code).

Yeah, in my office style guide (which is followed religiously), this is definitely the correct method. Like Sandy, I just think it's stupid and illogical. (And sorry for digging up this thread almost a week later!)

Speaking of my office, a cause I could really get behind is the elimination of WordPerfect. Why in the world must we still use this program? Also LotusNotes. Hey office: 1995 called...

[scrub-jay]

Yeah, in my office style guide (which is followed religiously), this is definitely the correct method. Like Sandy, I just think it's stupid and illogical. (And sorry for digging up this thread almost a week later!)

Speaking of my office, a cause I could really get behind is the elimination of WordPerfect. Why in the world must we still use this program? Also LotusNotes. Hey office: 1995 called...

LN is awful. AWFUL!!

[SoonerTexan]

Speaking of my office, a cause I could really get behind is the elimination of WordPerfect. Why in the world must we still use this program? Also LotusNotes. Hey office: 1995 called...

LotusNotes is the Devil. We keep trying to get rid of Lotus Notes based apps around here, but there are so many, that they gave up and they're continuing on indefinitely.

Random fact--one of the med spouses here had her wedding at the creator's of Word Perfect's mansion in Utah--they were family friends. Apparently it made them a lot of $$$$

[oceanchild]

LotusNotes is the Devil. We keep trying to get rid of Lotus Notes based apps around here, but there are so many, that they gave up and they're continuing on indefinitely.

Random fact--one of the med spouses here had her wedding at the creator's of Word Perfect's mansion in Utah--they were family friends. Apparently it made them a lot of $$$$

Our entire legislative information system is built on Lotus Notes. It would be unbelievably expensive to replace, and of course, we're the government, and we are broke. But I still hate it.

[HouseofWool]

I lurve Word Perfect. I've always hated that Word doesn't have